Working papers: "Experimental Evidence on the Economics of Rural Electrification." Kenneth Lee, Edward Miguel, and Catherine Wolfram. 2019. ![]() Media: Other - VoxDev [01/19] Journal articles: "Appliance Ownership and Aspirations among Electric Grid and Home Solar Households in Rural Kenya." Kenneth Lee, Edward Miguel, and Catherine Wolfram. 2016. Abstract: In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are active debates about whether increases in energy access should be driven by investments in electric grid infrastructure or small-scale “home solar” systems (e.g., solar lanterns and solar home systems). We summarize the results of a household electrical appliance survey and describe how households in rural Kenya differ in terms of appliance ownership and aspirations. Our data suggest that home solar is not a substitute for grid power. Furthermore, the environmental advantages of home solar are likely to be relatively small in countries like Kenya, where grid power is primarily derived from non-fossil fuel sources. Media: Blogs - Greentech Media [01/16], Energy Institute at Haas [01/16] "Electrification for "Under Grid" Households in Rural Kenya." Kenneth Lee, Eric Brewer, Carson Christiano, Francis Meyo, Edward Miguel, Matthew Podolsky, Javier Rosa, and Catherine Wolfram. 2016. ![]() Media: Stories - Quartz [01/17], Foreign Affairs [08/16], NPR "All Things Considered" [07/15], ClimateWire [07/15] Interviews - Blum Center for Developing Economies [10/14] Blogs - GSMA [07/15], GSMA [09/14], USAID FIRM [08/14]; Energy Institute at Haas [08/14]; Center for Global Development [07/14] |